The NFL heads south of the border this Sunday, with the New England Patriots taking on the Oakland Raiders at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Let’s dive into that matchup:
INJURY REPORT
The Patriots will be without two of their offensive linemen Sunday, as right tackle Marcus Cannon (ankle) and center David Andrews (illness) both have been ruled out.
LaAdrian Waddle will start for Cannon — no worries there; Waddle has looked very good against some great pass rushers this season — while Andrews’ absence opens up a spot for Ted Karras, who hasn’t started a game since Week 1 of last season and has played just nine offensive snaps in nine games this year.
It remains to be seen who will start at center for New England, as Karras and right guard Joe Thuney both have the ability to play either position.
As expected, wide receivers Chris Hogan (shoulder) and Matthew Slater (hamstring) both were ruled out after not practicing all week. Five players are listed as questionable, including three — cornerback Eric Rowe, defensive end Cassius Marsh and defensive tackle Malcom Brown — who did not play last Sunday against the Denver Broncos.
Defensive tackle Alan Branch was limited in practice with a neck injury this week but was removed from the injury report Friday. He’s good to go.
PATRIOTS’ OFFENSE VS. RAIDERS’ DEFENSE
Tom Brady should be able to feast on Oakland’s porous secondary, which has been one of the worst in the NFL this season.
The Raiders rank 22nd in passing yards allowed per game, 28th in yards allowed per pass attempt and dead last in passer rating against — a ridiculous 110.4. The 2015 New Orleans Saints (116.2) are the only team since 2009 to allow a cumulative passer rating above 110 for a full season. Oakland is the first team in NFL history to record zero interceptions in the first 10 weeks of a season.
One matchup to watch here will be Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski against Raiders rookie safety Obi Melifonwu, a Grafton, Mass., native and physical freak who will be playing in just his second career game after beginning the season on injured reserve.
Oakland is slightly better against the run, but not much, ranking 21st in rushing yards allowed per game and 18th in yards per carry. It will be interesting to see whether running back Mike Gillislee — a healthy scratch last week in Denver — slots back into the lineup, or if the Patriots again opt to roll with Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead and James White.
The Raiders also have been awful at rushing the passer this season, tying for 32nd in the league in sacks despite boasting the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in defensive end Khalil Mack. Mack leads Oakland with 4 1/2 sacks this season.
PATRIOTS’ DEFENSE VS. RAIDERS’ OFFENSE
The Patriots have held opponents to 17 or fewer points in each of their last five games, and they’ll be facing a Raiders offense that has been underwhelming this season under first-year coordinator Todd Downing.
Oakland still has plenty of offensive weapons, though, from quarterback Derek Carr and wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree to tight end Jared Cook and running back Marshawn Lynch.
Cooper is the Raiders’ most dangerous downfield threat, but he has been maddeningly inconsistent this season, with 210 of his 462 receiving yards and two of his three touchdowns coming in Oakland’s wild win over the Kansas City Chiefs last month.
It remains to be seen how the Patriots will defend Cooper and Crabtree, who both are listed at 6-foot-1 and between 210 and 215 pounds.
In the last two games cornerback Stephon Gilmore played in, New England stuck him on the bigger, stronger receiver (Mike Evans and Demaryius Thomas) while Malcolm Butler covered the smaller, quicker one (DeSean Jackson and Emmanuel Sanders). Since Cooper and Crabtree basically are the same size, the Patriots can’t employ that strategy this Sunday.
Lynch, the former Seattle Seahawks star, was bottled up for much of Oakland’s most recent game — a win over the Miami Dolphins two weeks ago — but did rush for two touchdowns. Patriots coach Bill Belichick told reporters this week Lynch is “as good as any back in the league in terms of yards after contact.”
